


Look at Me

by shiyiiing



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-30 00:36:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5143868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiyiiing/pseuds/shiyiiing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeonghan falls in love with his ginger haired customer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Look at Me

**Author's Note:**

> my first seventeen fic so please treat me nicely haha. inspired by [this](http://hiddenbyfog.tumblr.com/post/129638301055/) but i changed a few, minor things

Jeonghan stared at the sea of excited children and frantic parents swarming the store and momentarily considered changing out of his uniform and calling in sick before his manager noticed that he was even here in the first place. That would have been a great plan and Jeonghan would have really proceeded with it if Jihoon hadn’t suddenly popped out from a shelf and barked at him to “start working, I don’t pay you to stand around!”  
  
So, Jeonghan found himself stuck in work where he was supposed to attend to hyperactive children running around the store while their parents tried to get everything on their lists. Thankfully, Jeonghan had the wits to  ~~hide~~  situated himself behind the counter where he was safe from the throngs of people. It was still quite early, about five minutes past opening hours but some parents were clever enough to reach the store early, grab whatever they needed and get out before things really got busy.  
  
“I should have made a run for it when I had the chance,” Jeonghan sighed to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was leaning lazily against the counter, his back to the store so that he didn’t have to see the masses of people. Beside him, the part time cashier Mingyu tried not make a face of annoyance at the older boy.  
  
“Why are you even here, hyung? You’re not on cashier duty.” Mingyu complained as he bagged up the supplies and then waited for the hurried mother to get out her credit card. “And you’re not even helping.”  
  
“Like you said, I’m not on duty yet.” Jeonghan reminded the taller boy pointedly. He gestured beyond the counter, where more and more patrons were appearing, and added, “And there’s no way I’m getting out of the counter. Those parents would pound on him and get me to search for their supplies. Honestly, why did they wait till the last day before school to get everything.”  
  
Mingyu stared at Jeonghan with some incredulity. “But that’s your job, hyung. You’re  _supposed_  to help parents find their supplies.”  
  
“Details.” Jeonghan dismissed the other’s words, turning slightly to face him. “I’m not going out that until I can actually  _see_  the floor.”  
  
Unfortunately, Jeonghan didn’t notice Jihoon, who was walking pass then, in time and the shorter was just so close enough that he had heard every single word Jeonghan had said. Needless to say, Jeonghan found himself kicked out of the counter faster than a gyro drop.  
  
“Jihoon needs to chill.” Jeonghan muttered to himself, disgruntledly as he pulled his scrunchie off his wrist. “This is hell.”  
  
As he gathered his long hair together to tie it back into a ponytail, Jeonghan surveyed his vicinity and mentally debated between hiding in the office supplies or the art and crafts section where it seemed to have fewer people.  
  
_But if I hide in the art and crafts section, Jihoon would still be able to see me._  Jeonghan pondered thoughtfully, eyes going blank for a while. T _hen again, the office supplies area looks like there’s more people..._  
  
Out of the blue, there was a blur of pink and suddenly, Jeonghan found his centre of gravity changing abruptly. His hair falling out of his grip, Jeonghan instinctively reached out and managed to grab a nearby shelf, steadying himself.  
  
“Whoa, that was close.” Jeonghan breathed out and then his gaze lowered to the floor where a small girl, around the age of eight or seven, was lying. Panic seized him and Jeonghan dropped to his knees and grabbed the girl. If Jihoon found out that a customer had fell because of him, he was going to die.  
  
“Oh my gosh. Are you alright, little girl? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?” Jeonghan questioned furiously as he helped the girl to her feet and then proceeded to dust her knees which seemed to have the bunt of the impact.  
  
“Tell me if it hurts anywhere.” Jeonghan demanded, his eyes still focused on the girl’s knees because  _oh my gosh, is that a bruise forming?_  His face suddenly pale, Jeonghan could already feel Jihoon’s wrath coming down on him.  
  
Then, a shadow loomed over him and Jeonghan raised his head to see a cute older boy with a concerned expression on his face kneeling before the little girl. His catlike eyes were full of care and his pink lips were murmuring barely audible words as his hands roamed around the young girl, checking meticulously for any scratches or bruises. A lock of ginger hair had fell tantalizingly down, brushing the tops of his eyes, in his haste to reach the young girl and as Jeonghan watched in mute fascination, a brilliant smile blossomed on the other boy’s face as he deemed the girl to be unhurt.  
  
Jeonghan wondered if love at first sight was a real thing because that was the only explanation he could come up with for his quickening heartbeat. His heart pounding loudly in his chest, Jeonghan was entirely enthralled by the ginger haired boy.  
  
_He’s beautiful._  Jeonghan thought in a daze, his eyes still fixated on the other boy’s face.  _And are his eyes sparkling or is it just me being stupid?_ Jeonghan mused subconsciously. He was completely spellbound and mesmerized by the seemingly perfect and gorgeous entity in front of him.  
  
Then, the gorgeous entity turned to him and parted his lips, an identical look of concern on his face. “Hey, are you alright?”  
  
It took Jeonghan a moment before he realized that the gorgeous entity was speaking to him. Then, it took him another moment to gather his wits because _the gorgeous entity was speaking to him_.  
  
“I’m — I’m fine!” Jeonghan exclaimed, the words coming out in an unintended stutter. He could feel heat flushing to his pale cheeks and he hastily diverted the attention from him to the young girl. “How’s your sister? I mean, if she  _is_  your sister, that is.”  
  
The ginger haired boy laughed and Jeonghan felt his heart swelled at the innocent, joyous sound.  _Was it possible for someone to fall in love with the sound of laughter?_  
  
“She is my sister.” The boy replied easily with a small grin. The two of them were still kneeling on the floor and the boy nudged his younger sister forward.  
  
“Go on, apologize to the oppa for knocking into him.” The boy urged softly, his voice not berating but polite and well mannered.  
  
The young girl promptly did a ninety degree bow and then straightened up. Her face was flushed and she cried out in genuine remorse, "I’m sorry, long haired oppa!"  
  
Jeonghan, who was still staring at the older brother, tore his gaze from him and faced the little girl. “No, no, it’s alright. No harm done.” Jeonghan grinned, not minding the nickname she has chosen for him. “The important thing is that, you’re not hurt.”  
  
The little girl beamed adorably at Jeonghan’s words as he and her older brother got to their feet. Now that they were both upright, Jeonghan noticed that the other boy was about an inch or so shorter than him.  
  
“My name’s Joshua and I apologize again for Joan’s actions.” The ginger haired boy apologized with a soft chuckle as he ruffled his sister’s hair, despite her protests.  
  
“Oppa!” The young girl, Joan, shrieked shrilly as she batted Joshua’s hands away from her hair.  
  
Joshua chuckled again but stopped his ministrations. He caught Jeonghan’s eye and grinned. Jeonghan swore he was about to swoon.  
  
“So, what’s your name?” Joshua inquired politely, tilting his head adorably to the right.  
  
“Oh! Erm, it’s Jeonghan. My name’s Jeonghan.” Jeonghan hastily answered, as he mentally berated himself for almost forgetting his own name.  
  
“Jeonghan.” Joshua echoed in that honey like voice and Jeonghan wondered again if it was possible to fall in love with a sound.  
  
“Long haired oppa!” Joan called out, tugging at his sleeve. “Are you alright? You look like you’re going to faint.”  
  
Jeonghan turned red at Joan’s blatant words and shook his head quickly. “I’m fine! I’m... I’m just distracted.” His eyes wandered towards Joshua again, who was busy studying the sheet of paper in his hands.  
  
“Distracted? By what?” Joan asked, ever so innocent. Jeonghan considered answering "your handsome oppa" but then thought against it.  
  
However, before he could answer, Joshua glanced up and grinned sheepishly. “I’m guessing that you work here, so could do you think you could help me out with this? I’ve been looking around but I can’t seem to find it anywhere.”  
  
Joshua held out the sheet of paper towards Jeonghan who peered at it. It was a rather long list, ranging from textbooks to stationary, sketching books to paint brushes.  
  
“Do you mean the Mathematics textbook?” Jeonghan confirmed, looking at Joshua.  
  
The ginger haired boy scratched the back of head and admitted bashfully, “That and the Korean one.”  
  
“Sure, no problem.” Jeonghan grinned, waving the pair of siblings towards the textbooks section. As he fell into step with Joshua, Jeonghan deftly grabbed a basket as he offered, “And actually, if you haven’t got the paint brushes yet, I know where they are and I can get them for you...”  
  
  
  
“Is that it? Have you gotten everything that you need?” Jeonghan questioned as he placed the set of pencils into the basket.  
  
Joshua grinned back before brandishing the list of checked items. “We’ve got everything now.”  
  
“Great. High five.” Jeonghan unconsciously held up his hand before realizing that he may have been a bit too forthcoming. Before he react, Joshua high fived his palm with a wide smile.  
  
“Thanks so much for your help, Jeonghan.” Joshua smiled genuinely as the pair walked towards the counter, Joan bouncing excitedly around them.  
  
“No problem. It’s actually kind of my job to help people.” Jeonghan elaborated with a offhand shrug of his shoulders.  
  
At that moment, Joan skidded to a stop and practically screamed at the top of her lungs, “Crayons! Glitter crayons!” She burst into a sprint towards the shelf full of crayons and Jeonghan unwittingly laughed at her antics.  
  
“She’s adorable.” Jeonghan remarked, watching with amused eyes as Joan dashed from the shelf and back to their side so that she could pile the boxes of crayons into the baskets.  
  
“Oh?” Joshua stared at Jeonghan with an intensity that stole Jeonghan’s breath away. Batting his eyelashes dramatically but still looking gorgeous, Joshua playfully teased, “Is she the cuter sibling then?”  
  
Jeonghan swore his heart skipped a beat and the words came rushing out before he could catch himself. “She’s the cuter one but you’re the gorgeous one.”  
  
His cheeks flushed as Joshua chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “You’re too sweet, Jeonghan.”  
  
_Your laughter is beautiful and I think I’m in love with it._  Jeonghan tried to speak but he couldn’t come up with a decent reply, other than the creep thought he had. Luckily, Joshua was too busy calling Joan over to notice that Jeonghan was hyperventilating besides him.  
  
Jeonghan walked the pair towards the ridiculously long queue at the counter. Upon seeing the mile long queue, Joshua sighed before giving a small smile, “It’s going to take a while, isn’t it?”  
  
“Probably.” Jeonghan replied back, eyes glancing around quickly for any sign of his manager. Jihoon was small so you never know where he is until he comes at you with a guitar, as Mingyu has once experienced. After declaring the coast was clear, Jeonghan smiled at Joshua before launching into a conversation.  
  
The whole time Jeonghan was talking to Joshua, he couldn’t help but fall a bit more in love with the ginger haired boy. He was funny and quick witted, and his laughter was simply out of this world.  
  
“How old are you?” Jeonghan asked, a small part of him hoping that Joshua wasn’t a minor. As much as he was attracted to Joshua, being in a relationship with a minor really wasn’t his thing. “I’m a 1995 liner.”  
  
“Hey, me too.” Joshua beamed and Jeonghan thanked the heavens. “When’s your birthday?”  
  
“October fourth.” Jeonghan answered in a heartbeat and Joshua laughed.  
  
“You’re literally an angel.” Joshua smiled with sparkling eyes before sharing, “mine’s December thirtieth.”  
  
Hearing that, Jeonghan felt mischievous and commented playfully, “you have to call me hyung then. Call me hyung.”  
  
Joshua stared at Jeonghan, stifling his laughter. “It’s only a three —  _two_  months difference.”  
  
“Doesn’t matter. Just call me hyung, Joshua.” Jeonghan insisted stubbornly, a grin forming on his face.  
  
Laughing, Joshua opened his mouth and then —  
  
“Hello hyung.”  
  
Jeonghan froze on the spot.  _That’s not Joshua’s voice. That’s —_  
  
“Shouldn’t you be working?” Jihoon yelled and for a person of his size, his voice was quite loud. Joshua jumped and Jeonghan ducked his head down in embarrassment.  
  
“Have you been doing anything the past hour or were you too busy hitting on customers?” Jihoon screeched as he glared daggers at Jeonghan who speedily scurried away, his lilac coloured hair covering his flushing cheeks.  
  
Jeonghan went one round around the counter before sneaking behind it. He headed straight for Mingyu and all but shoved him away from the cash register. Joshua was still a long way to go before he would reach the cash register but Jeonghan figured that meeting him again was definitely worth the wait.  
  
“My turn.” Jeonghan said as a way of explanation, slightly breathless at the exertion, but Mingyu gladly let the older boy take over. Besides, Wonwoo had just arrived and they’ll probably have a few minutes to spare before the older boy’s shift started.  
  
For the next twenty minutes, Jeonghan was absentmindedly scanning school supplies and waiting impatiently for the ginger haired boy to appear in front of him again. It wasn’t long before he was daydreaming about Joshua and his sweet laughter, and his movements became robotic.  
  
_Honestly, how could anyone possess such sweet and melodious laughter?_  Jeonghan mused to himself as yet another parent in front of him fumbled for his credit card.  _He’s gorgeous and funny and witty and simply out of this world. Joshua’s simply amazing and incredible and —_  
  
“Long haired oppa!” A familiar voice squealed as she skipped her way towards Jeonghan. She waved excitedly at the lilac haired boy as Joshua followed behind, an amused look on his handsome face.  
  
“Joan,” Jeonghan flashed the younger girl a smile before raising his head to face her brother.  
  
“Hey there,” Jeonghan grinned at the ginger haired boy as a way of greeting as he helped him with the basket.  
  
“Hey back.” Joshua humoured him back before a worried expression appeared on his face. He continued to pull out stationery from his basket as he apologized sincerely, “I’m sorry for getting you into trouble with your boss. I shouldn’t have bugged you for so long.”  
  
“Don’t worry about. Jihoon may sound fierce but he’s actually quite nice.” Jeonghan shared, feeling the tiniest surprised at how genuine his words were.  
  
“That’s good.” Joshua sighed in relief as Jeonghan scanned the last of the items. Pulling out his credit card from his wallet, Joshua smiled brightly at Jeonghan. “And I just want to thank you for helping me so much just now. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have found everything on the list so quickly.”  
  
Accepting the credit card, Jeonghan swallowed at the blinding smile Joshua has bestowed on him and managed to weakly voice out, “It’s no problem, really. It’s really just my job.”  
  
Was it just him or did disappointment flashed past in Joshua’s eyes? Then, the ginger haired boy was smiling as brightly as before and Jeonghan shoved that thought to the back of his mind as he did the necessary procedures.  
  
“Please sign here.” Jeonghan instructed, forgoing Joshua’s name in his attempt to maintain a professional front. Which worked for the first five seconds until he touched Joshua’s fingers and jolted as if electrocuted. Jeonghan could have swore Joshua chuckled under his breath.  
  
_Great job, Jeonghan._  The lilac haired boy told himself sarcastically as he watched Joshua’s flawless face as he signed the receipt.  
  
“Here you go.” Joshua smiled, raising his head and for one priceless moment, both of their eyes met and Jeonghan was pretty sure  _something_  happened.  
  
“Erm, yeah. Have a nice day!” Jeonghan blurted out in a panic as he shoved the bags of school supplies into Joshua’s arms.  
  
Chuckling again, Joshua nodded his head and then turned to leave. Jeonghan watched with growing despair as Joan grabbed hold of Joshua’s outstretched hand and the two siblings walked towards the store’s exit. Jeonghan’s eyes followed their disappearing figures until they were swallowed up by the crowd. Strangely, there was a sort of emptiness in the spot where his heart was once at.  
  
“Move over, Jeonghan hyung.” Seokmin, another part time cashier, all but pushed the older boy away from the cash register. He immediately began attending to the next customer and asked curiously, “Where’s Mingyu? Wasn’t it his shift before mine?”  
  
For all the good it did, Jeonghan didn’t seemed to have heard Seokmin’s words. Instead, he hastily got out from behind the counter and attempted to catch one last glance of the ginger haired boy in the sea of shoppers. Of course, his attempt was in vain for Joshua was nowhere in sight.  
  
“Argh! I should have asked for his number,” Jeonghan immediately slapped his forehead in frustration at his own stupidity. Then, he noticed the receipt in his hand and for a moment, stared longingly at Joshua’s signature. It was so elegant and cursive and —  _Hold on, what’s that?_  
  
Beneath Joshua’s signature, there was a series of numbers and the words, “call me”. Jeonghan’s heart stopped for one moment at the treasure he possessed in his hand, and he then fished his handphone out from his pocket so fast that he almost dropped it. After punching in the numbers, Jeonghan waited with bated breath as he clicked “call”.  
  
“Hi, hyung.” The voice was soft and breathy and completely Joshua.  
  
Jeonghan’s heart soared.

**Author's Note:**

> cross-posted at my livejournal [g_evelyn](http://g-evelyn.livejournal.com/6659.html). hit me with questions on [ask.fm](http://ask.fm/genexieve) and follow me on [tumblr](http://hiddenbyfog.tumblr.com/) / [instagram](https://instagram.com/genexieve/) haha


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